Who's advising McCain on science?

While Democratic Presidential hopeful linkurl:Barack Obama;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54995/ unveiled an impressive stable of science policy advisers last week, his opponent linkurl:John McCain;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55012/ has yet to ante up.
As linkurl:__Wired__;http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/obama-campaign.html reported on Wednesday, the Obama science team includes Nobel laureates linkurl:Harold Varmus;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display

By Bob Grant | September 23, 2008

While Democratic Presidential hopeful linkurl:Barack Obama;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54995/ unveiled an impressive stable of science policy advisers last week, his opponent linkurl:John McCain;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55012/ has yet to ante up.
As linkurl:__Wired__;http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/obama-campaign.html reported on Wednesday, the Obama science team includes Nobel laureates linkurl:Harold Varmus;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/14696/ and linkurl:Peter Agre;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/21666/ along with three other noted scientists - Stanford agricultural researcher (and former Monsanto board member) linkurl:Sharon Long,;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/11532/ University of Chicago astrophysicist linkurl:Donald Lamb,;http://astro.uchicago.edu/people/donald-q-lamb.shtml and former American Association for the Advancement of Science president and University of Michigan geneticist linkurl:Gilbert Omenn.;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/14109/
At a linkurl:forum;http://sharp.sefora.org/candidate-forum/ on Thursday in Washington, DC, which featured Obama's health policy adviser, Dora Hughes and her McCain campaign counterpart, Jay Khosla, it sounded as though the Republican candidate was ready to introduce his science advisory team to the world. During the forum, which was webcast and hosted by science advocacy group Scientists and Engineers for America, Khosla was asked who McCain's science advisers were. Though Khosla wouldn't give names, he did say: "We have a science group that works for the Senator McCain campaign. Our communications shop can provide you with the names of the science advisers."
After repeated calls and E-mails to the McCain campaign, however, no science advisers were offered up. At one point a volunteer answering phones for the campaign said, "They don't have any listed."

First, congratulations to the Scientist for following the political arena so closely; you have become my first source of scientific news in the political arena. \n\nIs the McCain camp lying to us? If they say they have a group of advisors, indicate how to get their names, and then indicate that ?they don't have any listed?; then is this a lie? I think it is, and it was the speaker, Jay Khosla, who lied. He should know that there was not a team and was trying to get the audience to believe that there was and that they are being advised. The truth is that they are not. Why would they lie about such a thing? Is this what we, the scientific community (which is a community that holds truthfulness very highly) should accept?\n\nOn a related point I do feel sorry for McCain. To win the presidency on the Republican ticket he must lean to the right. This means questioning climate change, being against stem cell research, poopooing renewable energy projects, and being against environmental research. I know this is painting with a broad brush, but it is not too far from the facts. What reputable scientist would stand in such a light? Sure stem cell work can be argued against, but by and large there are few scientists that would stand for the complete story that the right portrays. Is this because scientists are leftist? Is the right wrong? Or is the McCain campaign more connected with a sad fact that most Americans do not care about science policy and can be won over by no new taxes, no abortions, a strong military, and recently promises of jobs?\n

See how Bush failed the country in the selection of Zerhouni. This country can't afford another poor choice for the NIH Director. Zerhouni and Bush devastated American science.\n\nCan McCain do better? We can't afford a Palin-like choice for NIH Director, that much is certain.\n\nhttp://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55050/

I seriously doubt Mcaine needs science advisers, at least not yet. The war in Iraq is sucking up money, time, and lives. This is the big problem we need out of the way as soon as we can do so safely. Second, he has a government to keep in check if the economy is to thrive. No new taxes is vital, and lowering them permanently would take herculean effort. Third, he must be willing to accept outrage and unpopularity if he is to cut the government's unnescesary money giving plans that are putting our country billions of dollars in debt.\n\nWhat does he need science advisors for? Why should he distract us with scientific ideas when he is not a scientist? Leave that to the profesionals, and let war veterans fight the war. Leave the economy to the natives who live in it.\n\nRemember, things tend to take care of themselves. Don't want to gas up the atmosphere? Car manufactures try to appeal to us with hybrids and fuel effecient cars. Don't want to contribute to coal burning? You can pay extra to get your electricity from renewable sources. \n \nThe people most capable of driving technology is the customer. Videogames are solid proof of this, though some consider this a sad fact. We are the ones who demand fuel effeciency. We are the ones who demand more antibiotics. What we demand and are ready to pay for we will get - from the companies who will do whatever it takes to earn money. We can demand a clean environment from the people scrambling over eachother for our money or we can demand it from a government that either takes our money unless we don't have any or sticks us in jail.\n\nThere is a reason Mcaine doesn't want to be a salesman. He will do what he does best and let us do what we do best. I consider us lucky to have a candidate who knows his limits.